News

On 23 April 2018, the French National Court of Asylum ruled in case no. 17052687, which concerned a Venezuelan national who had his asylum application rejected by the French administrative authorities in November 2017.

On 9 May 2017, the Court of Appeal delivered its judgment in case LC (Albania) v SSHD. The case concerned an Albanian national who had his asylum application refused on the grounds of lack of credibility of his sexual orientation and the belief that he would be able to live openly in Albania as a gay man.

In a judgment of 10 February 2017, the Belgian Council of State reversed the decision of the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) and granted refugee status to a Guinean woman who feared persecution from her family after having escaped a second forced marriage.

This case relates to a national of Guinea who requested asylum in October 2012 on the basis of a fear of both her and her daughter being subjected to forced genital mutilation (FGM) by her in-laws. The claim was rejected in July 2013, on reasons of her profile and credibility on the basis that neither her nor her sisters had undergone FGM, and that she lived in a modern part of the country. Her appeal was dismissed.

The case of R.H. v. Sweden (no. 4601/14) relates to a Somali national from Mogadishu who applied for asylum in Sweden in 2011. She claimed that she would face persecution from her family due to having fled a forced marriage, a risk of sexual assault and marginalisation as a single woman without a male network and due to the dire humanitarian situation in Somalia. As such her removal would be contrary to Article 3 ECHR.

This case relates to a Nigerian national who moved to France in 2010 after being told by A. that she could earn money working in France as a babysitter for his children. A. made all the administrative arrangements for her departure. Upon arrival to France, she was confined in A.’s apartment for a week and was repeatedly raped. He forced her into prostitution, explaining that she owed him 50,000 euros for her travel and accommodation costs and would have to pay 1,000 a month. She was beaten and raped by A. if she was unable to pay, and he threatened her family in Nigeria.

The case concerns a Nigerian national from the Edo State who was forced into prostitution after being trafficked into France. She later reported to the police the names of those involved in the prostitution network and applied for asylum.